What happens during the home survey?
Our expert will visit your property for a 90-minute assessment, evaluating insulation, heating systems, and potential for renewable energy installations.
What's in the Retrofit Plan?
A detailed roadmap including prioritized upgrades, cost estimates, potential savings, and a phased implementation strategy. We identify any potential pitfalls that might trip you up.
What is retrofit?
Retrofit involves upgrading existing buildings to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions while improving occupant comfort. This can include adding insulation, installing a heat pump, improving ventilation, adding solar and PV, draft-proofing, and more.
What type of retrofit do you offer?
We offer a full range of energy upgrades, including insulation, heat pumps, solar and PV, ventilation improvements and draught-proofing — our expertise is in finding the best measure or combination of measures for you and your property.
My home has issues including damp walls. Will adding insulation make it worse?
It could, if not done correctly — which is why our expert team carries out a thorough assessment of your home before installing any insulation. We identify and solve existing issues before retrofitting, and we use breathable, natural materials to ensure the long-term health of your home.
There are so many retrofit options — how do I know what's right for me?
The best retrofit strategy is one that fits both you and your home. We begin by understanding your goals and assessing your home in detail. Then we use our own software to evaluate and compare retrofit options across a range of criteria including cost savings, carbon reduction, payback period, disruption, and anything else that matters to you, to find the best retrofit solution for you.
Are you 'a one-stop-shop installer'?
We handle your entire retrofit journey — from the first assessment to the final installation — but we're not simply an installer. With us, you get the benefit of independent, expert advice before any work begins so you can be confident you have chosen the best retrofit strategy before progressing to the installation stage. We specialise in assessing your home, understanding your needs, identifying the most suitable measures, and specifying them correctly. Then, we bring in trusted local professionals to carry out the work, ensuring high-quality results from start to finish.
I can't afford to do everything at once. How should I prioritise?
That's very common. Our team will create a phased retrofit plan for you, outlining the most effective order of works. We ensure upgrades are compatible with each other so you won't need to redo anything, no matter how long the full process takes, and we can order the works to give you the greatest benefits first.
I've read a lot about heat pumps. How do I know if one will suit my home?
We assess both your home and your usage patterns to recommend the right heating system for you. For example, air-to-air heat pumps may be more cost-effective and efficient for people who are out during the day. Our goal is always to find the most suitable and efficient solution based on how you live.
I've heard bad retrofit can damage your home and be expensive to fix. Is that true?
Unfortunately, yes. Poorly designed or installed retrofits can lead to moisture problems, overheating, or structural issues. That's why we take a whole-house, expert-led approach — from thorough assessments and careful planning to quality-assured installation by trusted local installers.
What type of insulation do you use?
We use natural, breathable, and non-combustible insulation materials. These help avoid common risks associated with foam-based products, such as moisture build-up, damp, and fire.
Can I get funding to help pay for the work?
In most cases, yes. We'll discuss the funding options available and help you access as much support as possible to make your retrofit more affordable.
How much will retrofit impact my bills, comfort, and carbon footprint?
Our in-house, data-driven software estimates the benefits of each measure in terms of energy bill savings, comfort improvements, and carbon reductions — so you can understand the likely impact before installation and you can make informed decisions based on your specific priorities.
I live in a conservation area. Will I need planning permission, and can you help?
Yes. Our in-house architects will assess whether planning permission is required for your retrofit works and handle any necessary applications on your behalf. This is also true of other statutory requirements, such as Building Control and health and safety.
What does a full retrofit process with VundaHaus look like?
1. Understand: we take the time required to understand your aspirations and requirements as well as the retrofit opportunities and challenges specific to your home.
2. Analyse: we use our own software to evaluate and compare retrofit options across a range of criteria including cost savings, carbon reduction, payback period, disruption, and anything else that matters to you, to find the best retrofit solution for you.
3. Specify: once the retrofit strategy is agreed our expert team will carefully specify the retrofit works and brief our local supply chain.
4. Install: installation works are completed by our trusted local installers, quality assured by us.
5. Aftercare: we believe in 'soft landings', meaning that we will ensure you know what you need to know in order to get the best out of your installed retrofit measures; whether it's how to control your heat pump, understanding servicing and maintenance requirements.
Why shouldn't I go straight to an EWI and heat pump installer?
The best building projects, and retrofits are no exception, are those that are expertly specified and installed. Jumping straight to installation without properly identifying the right solution is a missed opportunity to get the best result for you and your home. It also increases risks across the board from poor-quality outcomes and unintended damage, to cost overruns, underperformance, and missed energy and bill savings.
